Stefanik drops bid for N.Y. gov, retiring from Congress

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) announced Friday she'd suspended her campaign for New York governor and will not seek reelection to the House next year.Why it matters: Stefanik, one of President Trump's most prominent backers on Capitol Hill and a member of House GOP leadership, just entered the race for governor in November after Trump helped clear the field for her. "While we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York," Stefanik wrote in a post on X. The announcement comes just days after Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman decided to jump into the race.Trump and GOP leadership's effort to clear the field for her included convincing Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) not to run.Driving the news: "I did not come to this decision lightly for our family," Stefanik said in her post. "I have thought deeply about this and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I don't further focus on my young son's safety, growth, and happiness," she added. Between the lines: National Republicans earlier this year embarked on a polling project aimed at deciding who of the three — Stefanik, Lawler and Blakeman — would be the strongest GOP opponent to incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reported Stefanik, who was first elected to Congress in 2015, fared the best.The other side: "Elise Stefanik has finally acknowledged reality: If you run against Governor Kathy Hochul, you are going to lose," Hochul said in a statement Friday.What we're hearing: Republicans see having Blakeman at the top of the ticket as a big boost for New York's third and fourth congressional districts."I expect Republicans to soon coalesce around Bruce Blakeman," Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), who had been neutral in the race up to this point, told Axios.Zoom out: Trump picked Stefanik to be UN ambassador after winning the presidency last year.But he later withdrew the nomination amid concerns that, with House Republicans hanging on to a slim majority, he'd need Stefanik's vote to pass his "big beautiful bill."Stefanik has reportedly blamed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for delaying and ultimately killing her nomination in an effort keep his narrow GOP majority from further dwindling — a claim that Johnson has denied.The tension has spilled into public view in recent weeks, with Stefanik calling Johnson a "political novice" in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.